Mike Wroblewski's blog on developing a Kaizen Mind focused on Lean Manufacturing, Lean Healthcare, Lean Government and Six Sigma Quality

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Suffering from Sick Sigma?

My good friend, Jonathan Sands, a Director of Operational Excellence for a large firm, recently told me about his experience with a company six sigma effort years ago. At first go around, he and other leaders undertook their black belt training with a huge burst of energy. Everyone was passionate about their six sigma projects and making huge improvements to their operational performance. The six sigma excitement was as hot as the burning fever with the winter flu.

As the six sigma virus started running its course, management interested grew less interested in dealing with real, significant problems and focused on just adding to the roster the number of people with colored belts. Training was done for training sake.

Anytime a complex problem with no solution known (which you would think is the perfect type for a six sigma black belt to attack) was made visible, it was pushed back and ignored. No real reason why, it just happened.

In just a short time, the six sigma update meetings were held less frequent and attendance started dropping.

Six Sigma projects were just done to get certified. And it seemed that the projects were less and less focused on the customer.

It did not take long for the six sigma fever to break and things started getting back to normal (a return to the status quo).

The six sigma program, left to wither and die, became known around this company as their sick sigma program.

This is not to be critical of the six sigma approach. I know many attempts using lean have met the same fate. Each program starts out with such promise for a bright future only to be found DOA in the morgue a few years later.

9 comments:

I think there is no real medicine against "Sick Sigma" but to educate people to live the "lean" philosophy. The heavier task might be to educate the management, as they just look at the $$$ and Lean focuses on the (really) long term and can't be done overnight.People expect too much to be done in a too short time. And if there is only "little" success, enthusiasm and motivation go down. We can't let that happen, so we have to work hard to find ways to motivate!

Right. This situation is very common. To me it seems to be noticeably more common in six sigma than lean but that is just what it seems like to me. I think there are some bureaucracy reasons - six sigma tends to get focus on what amount to arbitrary numbers (goals...). Six sigma doesn't have to do that, it just seems to happen more often.

The biggest problem is that the vast majority of all management improvement efforts suffer this fate. If management doesn't actually improve their thinking and the management system the old management system kills off whatever the change it.

I completed my Black Belt many years ago I’ve sadly seen the process you describe in this post many, many time. I was recently reading about management fads and believe it or not they have definite life cycles and characteristics. Six Sigma is often thought of as a management fad by some (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505183_162-28552307-10391735/the-8-stupidest-management-fads-of-all-time/):

"It creates a hierarchy of "belted" experts who run around the company pretending that they know how to do other people's work better than the people who do the work. Endless meetings ensue, with little or no effect. The consulting firm who's implementing the Six Sigma walks away with a fat pay check."

The failure of six sigma typically rests with the leader and we need to look no further than Dr. Deming for the answer: "Create constancy of purpose for the improvement of product and service." Companies usually have to contend with the problems of today, and those of tomorrow. Here in the West we have an excessive focus on the problems of now usually because most leaders only stick around for a few years.

Great thoughts Thomas. Focus on process improvement and developing people instead of results only. This takes time. Also, leaders need to live the lean philosophy and not hand improvement off to others.

Sadly it is an all too common and sometimes an embarrassing truth that many companies and management put into the classic 'denial bucket' touting that they have "many black belts" and "six sigma improvement projects"... "nothing wrong here..."

The use of the common consultant "Dr's of sickness" and little sharing of projects can cause this sickness to perpetuate until it kills enthusiasm and disappears... leaving behind little hope and a distaste for Six Sigma. Indeed a true sickness.

John's comments are right on. Having a lack of true understanding of the problem and the tools available led to the wrong prognosis. Throwing six sigma at miss-understood problems as a rush to get the patient better became a trend.

Someone more famous than I once said, "a problem well stated is a problem half solved...", perhaps six sigma fads were a reflection of this that was not recognized..."A problem half solved is ...a result of six sigma problems..."

To all the six sigma teams and belts out there... This is not true for all, so be sure you pass your skills to others, align your projects with real problems and metrics for your businesses, and most of all, enthusiastically share what you do so others become addicted to a new kind of sickness... "Fix Sigma"

Sadly it is an all too common and sometimes an embarrassing truth that many companies and management put into the classic 'denial bucket' touting that they have "many black belts" and "six sigma improvement projects"... "nothing wrong here..."

The use of the common consultant "Dr's of sickness" and little sharing of projects can cause this sickness to perpetuate until it kills enthusiasm and disappears... leaving behind little hope and a distaste for Six Sigma. Indeed a true sickness.

John's comments are right on. Having a lack of true understanding of the problem and the tools available led to the wrong prognosis. Throwing six sigma at miss-understood problems as a rush to get the patient better became a trend.

Someone more famous than I once said, "a problem well stated is a problem half solved...", perhaps six sigma fads were a reflection of this that was not recognized..."A problem half solved is ...a result of six sigma problems..."

To all the six sigma teams and belts out there... This is not true for all, so be sure you pass your skills to others, align your projects with real problems and metrics for your businesses, and most of all, enthusiastically share what you do so others become addicted to a new kind of sickness... "Fix Sigma"

About Me

Welcome to "Got Boondoggle?" My lean journey began over 20 years ago with a jump in the water and start swimming approach. By trial and error along with some great lean teachers, I successfully implemented the lean approach in a variety of businesses. My lean experiences include learning directly from the original lean leaders including Dr. Shigeo Shingo. As a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, I believe quality is a cornerstone of all improvement actions. By sharing these experiences and insights, my hope is that you may benefit on your lean journey.